Fungal Growth on Powder-Coated Surfaces

I think this advance in powdered coatings is your competition.

and copper is also used for its predominately anti microbial properties, though its anti fungal properties are also well documented. the copper development association is working hard on this for health care industry. http://www.copper.org/antimicrobial/homepage.html

milo

Back to the Basic - Fungiology

Fungi-mold are really great creatures - all they need is a source of carbon and they extract nitrogen from the air and produce more fungi-spores

Some paints/ and therefore maybe coatings/ have sufficient available carbon in the paint product to support fungi growth and when kept in the dark, damp, and free air circulation they will support mold or fungal growth...

Easy way of testing -

take a cup of coffee - NO CREAM or Sugar

another cup with sugar

another cup with cream

your coated product

your coated product with powdered sugar - lightly coated

put them in a dark place - with a humidifer/lots of damp tissue - and free air circulation

check the controls and the coated product - periodically -

bacteria may form on the coffee with cream

fungi will first form on the sugar+coffee then on the coffee without cream and sugar

then maybe on your coated product...if it does on your product you need to change the formula of the coating as it has some substance that provides the carbon to the fungi spores - they are everywhere....including your lungs in Central California people get "Valley Fever"

Hope you don't have a fungal problem - if so tell me/others which hospitals have your equipment coatings??

TOM